# Places to order at the counter with kids in Chicago

Restaurants and cafés in Chicago where you order at the counter. 44 listed.

Last updated 2026-10-20, from the newest confirmation among these places.

## The list

1. [Antique Taco](https://ourplayday.com/places/antique-taco-bridgeport) (restaurant, Chicago). Tacos and quesadillas for kids, a horchata milkshake they love, and a big heated patio that works all year. Has: order at the counter.
2. [Janson's Drive-In](https://ourplayday.com/places/jansons-drive-in) (restaurant, Chicago). A walk-up drive-in serving the neighborhood since 1960, with a long shake menu, pizza puffs, hot dogs and burgers. Has: order at the counter.
3. [Lincoln Park Corner Kitchen](https://ourplayday.com/places/lincoln-park-corner-kitchen) (restaurant, Chicago). A casual, family-owned all-day breakfast-lunch-dinner spot with its own published kids' menu. Has: order at the counter.
4. [Cocula Restaurant](https://ourplayday.com/places/cocula-restaurant) (restaurant, Chicago). A South Chicago location of a small regional Mexican restaurant chain. Has: order at the counter.
5. [Doreen's Pizzeria](https://ourplayday.com/places/doreens-pizzeria) (pizzeria, Chicago). A family-owned Hegewisch pizzeria since 1986, with a full kitchen beyond pizza. Has: order at the counter.
6. [Honey Butter Fried Chicken](https://ourplayday.com/places/honey-butter-fried-chicken) (restaurant, Chicago). An Avondale fried-chicken counter with a kids' meal that comes with stickers, and a patio for overflow energy. Has: order at the counter.
7. [Huck Finn Restaurant](https://ourplayday.com/places/huck-finn-restaurant) (restaurant, Chicago). A classic Archer Avenue diner known for donuts and generous, affordable breakfast plates. Has: order at the counter.
8. [Little Goat Diner](https://ourplayday.com/places/little-goat-diner-southport) (restaurant, Chicago). Chef Stephanie Izard's all-day diner on the Southport Corridor, with a dedicated kids' menu and a kids-eat-free Tuesday promotion. Has: order at the counter.
9. [Lou Malnati's Pizzeria](https://ourplayday.com/places/lou-malnatis-pizzeria-river-north) (pizzeria, Chicago). Classic deep-dish pizzeria with a kids' menu and a chocolate chip cookie pizza a la mode for dessert. Has: order at the counter.
10. [Masters Pancake House](https://ourplayday.com/places/masters-pancake-house) (restaurant, Chicago). A family-owned Archer Heights breakfast-and-lunch diner open since 1981. Has: order at the counter.
11. [Pearl's Place](https://ourplayday.com/places/pearls-place) (restaurant, Chicago). A South Side soul-food institution serving daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets of comfort food, in a casual sit-down setting. Has: order at the counter.
12. [Superdawg Drive-In](https://ourplayday.com/places/superdawg-drive-in) (restaurant, Chicago). A hot-dog drive-in with giant winking hot dogs on the roof, trays clipped to your car window, and a kids' meal with a toy. Has: order at the counter.
13. [Tata's Tacos](https://ourplayday.com/places/tatas-tacos-six-corners) (restaurant, Chicago). A family-owned Six Corners taco spot on the Belmont Cragin/Portage Park line, known for smoked brisket and housemade tortillas. Has: order at the counter.
14. [Wonderburger](https://ourplayday.com/places/wonderburger) (restaurant, Chicago). A Mount Greenwood burger grill revived by a local family at its current location since 2019. Has: order at the counter.
15. [Billy Goat Tavern](https://ourplayday.com/places/billy-goat-tavern-michigan-ave) (restaurant, Chicago). The below-street-level original Billy Goat Tavern near the Wrigley Building, famous for its counter-service cheezborgers, reached only by a flight of stairs. Has: order at the counter.
16. [Chef Daddy's](https://ourplayday.com/places/chef-daddys) (restaurant, Chicago). An Austin soul food and BBQ restaurant, open since 2015 and one of the first West Side spots approved for EBT hot meals. Has: order at the counter.
17. [Daley's Restaurant](https://ourplayday.com/places/daleys-restaurant-woodlawn) (restaurant, Chicago). A Woodlawn diner tracing its history to 1892, Chicago's oldest restaurant, now across the street from its original spot. Has: order at the counter.
18. [Eleven City Diner](https://ourplayday.com/places/eleven-city-diner) (restaurant, Chicago). An old-school Jewish-style diner with deli classics, pancakes, hand-dipped milkshakes and a kids' menu. Has: order at the counter.
19. [Joy Yee Noodles](https://ourplayday.com/places/joy-yee-noodles-chinatown) (restaurant, Chicago). A big, casual pan-Asian noodle house in Chinatown that is easygoing with young kids, with quick seating even at busy times. Has: order at the counter.
20. [Mon Ami Gabi](https://ourplayday.com/places/mon-ami-gabi) (restaurant, Chicago). A longtime French bistro on Lincoln Park West with a dedicated kids' menu and a lively, loud dining room that tends to absorb toddler noise well. Has: order at the counter.
21. [Pequod's Pizza](https://ourplayday.com/places/pequods-pizza) (pizzeria, Chicago). A longtime Lincoln Park deep-dish pizzeria known for a pan crust caramelized against the edge of the pan, with a kids' menu and casual sit-down service. Has: order at the counter.
22. [Pete's Pizza & Bakehouse](https://ourplayday.com/places/petes-pizza-bakehouse) (bakery, Chicago). A neighborhood pizzeria and bakery in Edgewater with a casual, walk-in dining room. Has: order at the counter.
23. [Pick Me Up Cafe](https://ourplayday.com/places/pick-me-up-cafe) (café, Chicago). A Ravenswood cafe since 1997 serving vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diner food at reasonable prices. Has: order at the counter.
24. [Portillo's Hot Dogs](https://ourplayday.com/places/portillos-hot-dogs-river-north) (restaurant, Chicago). A Prohibition-themed spot for hot dogs, Italian beef, shakes and the famous chocolate cake, with a kids' menu and counter service. Has: order at the counter.
25. [Staropolska](https://ourplayday.com/places/staropolska) (restaurant, Chicago). A family-style Polish restaurant in Avondale with a dedicated kids' meal section, popular for large group dinners. Has: order at the counter.
26. [Sun Wah BBQ](https://ourplayday.com/places/sun-wah-bbq) (restaurant, Chicago). An Uptown Cantonese BBQ institution since 1987, known for Peking duck, with high chairs and a restroom on site. Has: order at the counter.
27. [Beggars Pizza](https://ourplayday.com/places/beggars-pizza-kenwood) (pizzeria, Chicago). The Kenwood location of a Chicago deep-dish and stuffed-pizza chain. Has: order at the counter.
28. [Calumet Fisheries](https://ourplayday.com/places/calumet-fisheries) (restaurant, Chicago). A cash-only South Deering seafood takeout shack by the 95th Street bridge, family-owned since 1948, smoking its own fish and shrimp on site. Has: order at the counter.
29. [Gino's East](https://ourplayday.com/places/ginos-east-magnificent-mile) (restaurant, Chicago). Chicago's other famous deep-dish spot near Michigan Avenue, rebuilt on its original site after a 2000 demolition. Has: order at the counter.
30. [Green Street Smoked Meats](https://ourplayday.com/places/green-street-smoked-meats) (restaurant, Chicago). A Texas-style West Loop BBQ hall with communal tables, generally rated good for kids. Has: order at the counter.
31. [Hienie's Shrimp House](https://ourplayday.com/places/hienies-shrimp-house) (restaurant, Chicago). A family-owned South Deering seafood and fried-chicken counter since 1947. Has: order at the counter.
32. [Los Tacos & Desserts](https://ourplayday.com/places/los-tacos-desserts) (restaurant, Chicago). A South Chicago counter-service taco and dessert spot. Has: order at the counter.
33. [Luella's Southern Kitchen](https://ourplayday.com/places/luellas-southern-kitchen) (restaurant, Chicago). A breakfast-and-brunch Southern kitchen, relocated to Albany Park from a decade-long Lincoln Square run in August 2025. Has: order at the counter.
34. [M. Henry](https://ourplayday.com/places/m-henry) (restaurant, Chicago). An Andersonville breakfast-and-brunch spot known for creative takes on American comfort food, closed Mondays. Has: order at the counter.
35. [MingHin Cuisine](https://ourplayday.com/places/minghin-cuisine-chinatown) (restaurant, Chicago). A spacious, self-described family-style dim sum restaurant with picture-menu ordering that makes unfamiliar dishes easy to navigate with kids. Has: order at the counter.
36. [Shokolad Pastry & Cafe](https://ourplayday.com/places/shokolad-pastry-and-cafe) (bakery, Chicago). A Ukrainian Village bakery and cafe serving traditional and modern Ukrainian dishes alongside European pastries. Has: order at the counter.
37. [Berger Park Cafe](https://ourplayday.com/places/berger-park-cafe) (café, Chicago). A seasonal, open-air lakefront cafe on the patio of Berger Park in Edgewater, next to a marine-themed playground. Open roughly mid-May to mid-October. Has: order at the counter.
38. [Ciao Ciao Gelato & Cafe](https://ourplayday.com/places/ciao-ciao-gelato-cafe) (ice cream shop, Chicago). A large, family-friendly Portage Park gelateria with dozens of rotating flavors and an outdoor patio, an easy dessert stop after the park. Has: order at the counter.
39. [Margie's Candies](https://ourplayday.com/places/margies-candies-bucktown) (ice cream shop, Chicago). A century-old Chicago ice cream and candy shop known for oversized sundaes served in old-fashioned booths, with both counter takeout and sit-down table service. Has: order at the counter.
40. [Valois](https://ourplayday.com/places/valois-hyde-park) (restaurant, Chicago). A cash-only, cafeteria-style Hyde Park institution since 1921, where you carry your own tray through a self-serve line for cheap, filling breakfast plates. Has: order at the counter.
41. [La Michoacana Premium](https://ourplayday.com/places/la-michoacana-premium-pilsen) (ice cream shop, Chicago). A Pilsen paleteria serving Mexican ice cream and fruit paletas long hours every day. Has: order at the counter.
42. [Original Rainbow Cone](https://ourplayday.com/places/original-rainbow-cone) (ice cream shop, Chicago). The original 1926 stand for the five-flavor Rainbow Cone, chocolate to orange sherbet in stripes, a family stop for generations. Has: order at the counter.
43. [Sugar Shack](https://ourplayday.com/places/sugar-shack-bridgeport) (ice cream shop, Chicago). A walk-up ice cream and funnel-cake window that has been a Bridgeport summer-evening fixture for years. Has: order at the counter.
44. [Teddy's](https://ourplayday.com/places/teddys-ice-cream) (ice cream shop, Chicago). A Lincoln Square soft-serve counter known for its pink signage and rooftop bear. Has: order at the counter.

## Other lists for Chicago

- [High chairs](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-high-chairs) (61)
- [Changing tables](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-changing-tables) (23)
- [Kids' menu](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-kids-menu) (51)
- [Wheelchair accessible](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/wheelchair-accessible) (27)
- [Cribs](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-cribs) (21)
- [Pool](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-a-pool) (12)
- [Connecting rooms](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-connecting-rooms) (14)
- [Fridge in the room](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-a-fridge) (21)
- [Separate bedroom](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-a-separate-bedroom) (17)
- [Restrooms](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-restrooms) (61)
- [Free](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/free-to-visit) (65)
- [Shade](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-shade) (15)
- [Water play](https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/with-water-play) (239)

## About this list

Every place here is a listing on Play Day, and a place is listed only when something positive is known about it for kids. Each listing carries the kid facts (high chairs, changing tables, kids' menus, wheelchair access) A list needs at least three places to exist.

Page: https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago/order-at-the-counter. All of Chicago: https://ourplayday.com/united-states/illinois/chicago